How To Train Your Horse For Western Pleasure
Introduction
Even if you’re an experienced horseback rider, training your horse to perform well in a western pleasure show can be a challenge. These tips and tricks will ensure you and your horse are ready for the big day!
Get the Right Horse
Before you start training your horse to Western Pleasure, you need to make sure that he has the right personality and conformation. Look for a horse that is calm and willing to learn; a good mind is important for this sport because your horse will have to memorize certain patterns during the course of competition. Good conformation is also key for Western Pleasure since your horse will be moving in an open arena at high speeds and must stay balanced if he’s going fast enough to win.
Look at his feet as well: they should be smooth with short hooves so they don’t catch on anything while you’re out on course, which could slow down or throw off your timing with fences. And speaking of shoes (or lack thereof), look at his teeth as well—they should line up evenly from top jawbone down past bottom jawbone without gaps or unusual spacing between them; any irregularities here could cause pain in either equine or human jaw when chewing food after long practice sessions each day (and thus might lead him not wanting practice so much). Finally, check out his eyes: they should be clear throughout with no cloudiness visible underneath lids despite how much dirt gets kicked up onto them during competitions; cloudy eyes are usually indicative of some sort illness within body which would show symptoms such as other diseases like influenza A virus subtype H7N9 avian influenza virus pandemic outbreak 2016 flu season bovine spongiform encephalopathy mad cow disease variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease Parkinson’s disease Alzheimer’s disease multiple sclerosis ALS ALS/PDC Parkinsonism-dementia complex (MND) Lou Gehrig’s Disease Dementia
Establish your Dominance and Trust
Establishing dominance and trust is important for both training and safety. It’s also key to your horse’s willingness to perform successfully in Western Pleasure. Your horse may not be a willing participant at first, but with practice, he or she will learn that you are in charge of the situation. You can use this information to establish dominance over your horse by using it as a tool for training as well as riding.
Establishing dominance over your horse is accomplished by being assertive about every aspect of their care: feeding time, grooming time (or lack thereof), other activities like bathing or giving medication when needed; even having them stand still while you put on their bridle or saddle blanket before mounting up! This will help them develop trust in you so they know what’s expected from them each time they are worked with from now until forever more…
Calming the Horse
The first step to training your horse for western pleasure is calming the horse. This means slowing down the horse’s breathing and using a calm voice, as well as using a gentle touch. You want to avoid letting the horse see you as nervous, angry or scared. You also don’t want to let them see that you’re frustrated with them either—this will only make him more nervous than he already is!
Another thing that can help calm down a nervous horse is when we talk about keeping an eye on what’s going on around us at all times (you can read more about this in our article titled “Keeping Your Eyes On The Prize”). Think of it as having “eyes in back of your head” because this will give us clues about what’s coming up ahead so we can prepare ourselves accordingly before anything bad happens!
Training at a Walk
The walk is the first step in any horse training program. The walk is also the most important gait, because it gives your horse balance and a feeling of safety. In Western Pleasure, you want your horse to be able to move forward in a straight line at all gaits (walk, trot and canter). Your horse should also be able to turn right or left smoothly while at the walk.
Before you begin training your horse at the walk, it’s important to make sure that he/she has good posture and balance. Some of these exercises are designed specifically for this purpose! When working with young horses, we recommend starting with a longe line because they will not be as secure in their footing while on the ground without stirrups or stirrup irons (if riding bareback). When starting off with an older or more experienced animal who has been ridden prior (over fences etc), we recommend using arena footing such as sand until you are comfortable enough with each other that neither one of you will spook easily during this process!
Training at a Trot
Trotting is a natural gait for horses and they are able to learn it quickly. It is faster than walking, which makes it useful for training or showing your horse. Trotting is also an excellent gait for longer distances, such as endurance riding, where a walk-only gait would put too much strain on your horse’s legs over long periods of time.
However, trotting does not always work well short distances because it can cause soreness in the back muscles of some horses (and riders!) due to the concussion that occurs when pounding up and down over small bumps in the road surface; this happens more often at faster speeds such as racing speed (16-18mph) than moderate speeds like working pleasure classes at 10 mph where most people ride Western Pleasure horses
Training the Stop
To teach your horse the stop, you’ll need to begin with him in a walk. When he’s going down the rail, say “whoa” and give him plenty of time to slow down before bringing him back under control by pulling back on his reins. If he doesn’t stop when you say whoa, don’t repeat the command at that point; instead, encourage him forward again with gentle pressure on his bit and let him come to a complete halt before correcting again. As long as he is stopping when asked and not doing anything else (such as lunging or bucking), reward him with something tasty like apples or carrots after each successful attempt. Repeat this process until your horse understands what you are trying to teach him—when you say “whoa,” he should stop immediately at any speed until told otherwise by either voice command or rein pressure from your hands.
Once your horse has mastered stopping in response to voice commands alone (as opposed to needing additional visual cues like waving flags), then it’s time for the next step!
Explain the pattern to the horse before you start.
Before you begin, it is important to explain the pattern of your horse’s movements to him. Your horse will be more likely to follow your lead if he understands what he’s supposed to do and why. Tell him that you’re going to start at a certain point, walk around in circles until another point, and then turn around again and come back up toward where you started.
Horses are intelligent creatures who understand patterns very easily when they’re explained well. It may seem silly that we humans need this step before we can ride our horses, but it really helps with both of our mental states: yours and his! You’ll feel relaxed knowing that everything has been planned out in advance; meanwhile, your horse won’t be nervous about what comes next because he already knows it!
Train during your regular workouts.
The best time to train your horse is after they have had a rest. You should also be in a relaxed mood and have the time to devote to training. This will ensure that both you and your horse are rested and prepared, which leads us to our next point…
- Train during your regular workouts.
While we’re on the subject of workouts, it’s important that you check out my blog post on how to get into shape at home! I’ve got tons of great tips for working out with minimal equipment or gym memberships—and all at no cost!
Horses are easier to train than most people think.
You may have heard that horses are stubborn and mean, but these myths are not true. Horses are intelligent creatures, with complex social hierarchies that include a pecking order among the herd. They often show aggression towards other horses when they feel threatened or insecure. Because of this, your horse can be trained to be very gentle with people and to learn new patterns at lightning speed when you work together as a team.
Horses are also highly trainable; if you’re patient and persistent with your training techniques, your horse will soon be following all of your commands like clockwork! Once you’ve mastered basic riding skills (such as keeping your seat in the saddle), it’s time for more advanced maneuvers like turning corners on command or going up hills without falling off. This section will teach those techniques as well!
Conclusion
Training your horse for western pleasure is a fun and rewarding experience. While it takes time, the results are well worth the work. Start with these steps that we’ve outlined in this article and soon you will be ready to show off your new equine companion!